I am not a cabinet maker, and do not plan to enter that highly competitive space as I do not have the shop space to grow and become a viable competitor. With this said, I saw this cabinet software as the perfect way for me to tackle my ‘learning curve’ (I’m new to X-Carve PRO and Easel, and have been having all of the normal - and apparently not so ‘normal’ - issues and problems of a beginner).
I am still trying to get my shop set up and ready for production work, and my biggest problem is SPACE (“All shops come in one size: ‘Too Small’” - right?!?!), and the thing that I NEED most of all right now is cabinets on the walls and under my CNC machine. I WANT to make them ASAP, but have reservations.
Between the fail, after fail, after fail of the other projects that I am attempting to make as I learn the ins and outs of X-Carve and Easel, I have been dabbling in the cabinet maker software. On my first try, I had to give up and make the cabinet the old-fashioned way with machines and hand tools due to too many limitations in the current version of the software.
I have a friend who is remodeling his house and has offered to hire me to build the cabinets if/when I master this software. But between the current limitations (can’t make shallow drawers, no ‘island’ layout, no ability for cutting board pockets, no drawers behind doors, etc…, etc…, etc…), and my worries that the issues and problems that I’ve been having with other projects might carry over to the cabinet projects, I figured that I would wait for upcoming updates, and build my shop cabinets when I can finally access the tools necessary.
I figured that I had time because I did not know that the roadmap for this cabinetmaking software was to offer it as a separate product at such a steep price (only ‘steep’ to me because I do not plan to be a professional cabinetmaker - I can see the value to a professional cabinetmaker - once the program is perfected). But now seeing this new pricing schedule, I’m in ‘panic mode’. I NEED (and I mean NEED) cabinets for my shop but am reluctant to put that expensive sheet of plywood onto the wasteboard and hit ‘carve’ for two reasons.
- EVERY project that I’ve done thus far has had several ‘FAILS’ before getting it dialed in (sometimes ‘operator error’ sometimes inexplicable ‘ghosts in the machine’). Tec support has been AWESOME (I cant complement them enough), but it seems that everything that I try to do requires several work-arounds (making each project as multiple separate carves - or projects, or using various apps to do simple tasks). So, I’m frightened of what issues and flaws that I might find once I hit ‘carve’ on my first cabinet project. How many sheets of material will it take to dial in the cabinets before I can make a good one?? Again, I confess to being a rube beginner, but have also had problems that have not been the fault of this ‘greenhorn.’
- I need cabinets with shallow (height) drawers, and the shallowest that currently be made is 6" (I want 2-3" drawers for calipers, wrenches, lay-out tools, etc…), which means making my drawers separately anyway. 6" drawers are too deep for these items and a waste of very precious space.
The rest of the software’s limitations have to deal with the kitchen cabinets that my friend wants/needs. Drawers behind doors being a big one (this one is a MUST have, no one wants shelves in base cabinets anymore), so I thought that I could wait until you ‘got there’.
So my question is; How much time do I have to figure out these things and get my shop cabinets completed (and dare I dream, become competent enough to be able to make one set of kitchen cabinets)?
all my best,
Joe
